Redmond excited as Marlins remain in playoff hunt

By Steve Dorsey / Special to MLB.com

MIAMI -- This time a year ago, the Marlins were mired in the cellar of the National League East standings, 27 games out of first place with the worst record (44-72) in the NL. What a difference a year can make.

The Marlins began a nine-game homestand Monday night at Marlins Park only three games below .500 (57-60). They are 6 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading Nationals and still in the playoff discussion. That has manager Mike Redmond feeling much better than he did 12 months ago.

"For us to be where we are right now is exciting," Redmond said Monday before the Marlins' series-opening game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. "The longer you can play meaningful games, the better, not just for morale but for experience. When you have a lot of young guys on your team like we do, for us to be sitting here in August talking about the playoffs and talking about playing big games and every game counts is huge. And for the guys who went through what we did last year, I said we'd be better for it, and now to be talking about making a playoff run is another step in that development for our young guys."

Redmond is cautious, however, about looking past what is immediately in front of his team, and is relying on veterans such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and recently acquired Brad Penny to keep things in perspective in the clubhouse.

"You always get in trouble if you start looking too far down the road, but you really do have to take it one game at a time and one series at a time. This is when we rely on our older guys," Redmond said.

The Marlins return home following a 3-3 road trip to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, but they are 4-6 at home since the All-Star break. Redmond is hoping they can regain the home edge they had the first two months of the season when they had the best home record in the NL.

"This is a time right now when we should be the most relaxed, because we still have a chance [at the playoffs]," Redmond said. "We should be having the most fun that we've ever had. We're better when we play relaxed and loose."

Following the three-game series against St. Louis, the Marlins face the D-backs and Rangers, two teams that are out of the playoff picture. A successful homestand would put the Marlins above .500 and keep them in the playoff hunt.

"You see a lot more parity this year than in the recent past," Redmond said of the postseason races. "I think you saw that at the Trade Deadline, where even though it seemed like there was a flurry of activity, there's a lot of teams holding onto their guys and staying pat and trying to make a run. Overall, I'm still extremely pleased with the effort that we've put in and the way they grind."

Redmond: Jennings feeling better, recovering well

MIAMI -- Redmond gave a positive update on reliever Dan Jennings, who was struck on the left side of his head Thursday night in Pittsburgh on a comebacker off the bat of the Pirates' Jordy Mercer.

"He's feeling better," Redmond said of Jennings. "Obviously, he's still on the concussion DL and he's still a ways away from doing any baseball activities. We'll continue to monitor him, but the good news is he's feeling better in his recovery."

Redmond said that Jennings would be at Marlins Park on Monday night and was scheduled to be "checked out by our doctor here at the stadium." Redmond said it's uncertain how long Jennings will be on the DL.

"It was a scary incident, not just for us but all around baseball," Redmond said. "A lot of guys have asked how he's doing and how he's feeling, so I'm glad we can sit here and talk about him being on the road to recovery, and that's good stuff."

Worth noting

Right-hander Henderson Alvarez, who has been on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, is eligible to return on Thursday and is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday against the visiting D-backs. Redmond said no decision has been made yet on how the return of Alvarez will alter the starting rotation.

"That's still a few days down the road, so we've got until then to figure out what we're going to do," Redmond said.

Steve Dorsey is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.